Abstract
A five-stage reflection-type waveguide CO2 laser excited by DC discharge is described. Ananalysis is made for calculating the output power of a multireflection-type CO2 laser making use ofa simple laser model. The dependence of the output power on the coupling loss at each foldingstructure is examined, and appropriate structures to reduce the loss are discussed. On the basis ofthe analysis, a five-stage laser was constructed on a 300×150 mm2 alumina plate. A continuous outputpower of 46 W was experimentally obtained. Higher powers could be obtained by properchoice of mirror reflectivity.
